


When the Morning Comes

by SierraNovembr



Series: Bucky Barnes learns to be loved [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, First Kiss, Goats, Heifer International, Heifer Ranch, M/M, Tony Stark Bingo 2019, farm date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-06-14
Packaged: 2020-05-07 13:13:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19210144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SierraNovembr/pseuds/SierraNovembr
Summary: “What’s in Arkansas?”“About three million people.  And probably some dogs and cats.  Maybe a cow,” Tony says with a wink.[For my Tony Stark Bingo square R5: going on vacation together and my Bucky Barnes Bingo square K3: image of Bucky on the farm]





	When the Morning Comes

Bucky stares out of the window at the slate grey sky and feels a shiver go through him. The tower isn’t cold. He _isn’t_ cold, but ever since returning from the safe house where he and Tony had been snowed in, Bucky can’t seem to warm up. He’s replayed the hours when he’d held Tony in his arms for days now, but ultimately nothing had come of it. Natasha had been the one to pick them up, in an unassuming SUV with quips and teasing on her lips, and then they’d been back home. Tony disappeared into his workshop and no matter how many hot showers or mugs of cocoa he has, Bucky can’t seem to settle.

Maybe if it was sunny, he could talk Steve and Sam into a run. Hell, with the way they were eying him with _pity_ over the last few days, he could probably talk them outside with just his puppy eyes if the damn wind would stop blowing and the temperature would climb over freezing.

Not that he can pull off puppy eyes right now. Scowling is probably all he can get his face to do at the moment. A slimy mix of frustration and self-loathing squirms in his chest. His shoulders twitch as Bucky mentally throws his hands up at himself. Treadmill workout it is.

He spins away from the depressing view outside and gets two steps towards the elevator before he registers that Tony’s just exiting it and coming towards him. Bucky stops short. Tony grins, his true, happy smile and Bucky feels the blush rush up his neck at being the recipient of that look.

Tony comes all the way into Bucky’s space and lightly brushes Bucky’s arm. His hand is soft on Bucky’s skin and his eyes are warm when they meet Bucky’s. The smile fades as he registers the expression on Bucky’s face. “Hey, Buckaroo. You doin’ alright?”

Bucky’s probably not alright. He’s lonely in a tower full of people and even after everything he’s been through, somehow, he’s still irritable over the _weather_. He feels petty over the latter and so damn stupid thanks to the former.

He’s not going to tell Tony that. He’d rather never see the sun again than watch Tony’s face fall in that way it does when Bucky says or does the wrong thing again. He attempts an answer, but it comes out as nothing more than a low grumble.

Tony smiles. He _smiles_ as if Bucky had managed actual human communication. Bucky has to look away. He shuffles a little awkwardly, unwilling to pull away from Tony’s light touch on his arm.

“Let me take you somewhere this weekend,” Tony asks.

Bucky doesn’t even care what Tony has in mind. He’s agreeing before Tony can finish the sentence. Anything but staying here in the gloom. He just hopes there will be some escape from the clouds in his head as well.

********************

Tony spends the next few days clearing his schedule, making sure that his SI obligations won’t be following them on their trip. From what Bucky has been able to gather, Tony’s not doing it solely out of a desire to be a good traveling companion. He overheard Tony and Pepper discussing how Tony would be entirely out of cell phone contact. A true, avengers-level emergency notification would be routed through the suit, which seemed to satisfy Steve, so Bucky tries to enjoy the building anticipation rather than worry about what Tony’s cooking up.

He catches Tony looking at him over the next few days. When he sees Bucky notice him, Tony is all smiles, but in between his brow is scrunched in concern, his mouth turned down just slightly. He seems nervous.

The day before their flight, Bucky manages to scrape together the courage to remind Tony that he’s happy to be getting away and spending time with the other man. “Y’know I’d be glad to spend the weekend in an igloo or a foxhole or a shack if that’s where you were, right Tony?”

For some reason, this statement gives Tony a fit of the giggles that lasts several minutes.

********************

Tony’s wearing overalls when Bucky gets to the quinjet the morning they’re due to leave. Bucky feels his mouth drop open like a damn cartoon character, but _really_. Grown men who are also billionaire superheroes should not look so adorable. Tony, for his part, gives Bucky his own once-over. Bucky’s casual jeans, t-shirt, Henley, and boots evidently pass muster, because next thing he knows, he’s being ushered onto the plane.

He slides easily into the co-pilot seat, watching the heads up display as Tony runs through the pre-flight checks. His eyes catch on the flight plan.

“What’s in Arkansas?”

“About three million people. And probably some dogs and cats. Maybe a cow,” Tony says with a wink.

“Okay, then.”

********************

Tony brings the quinjet down, skimming west over an algae-covered lake and landing in a field with barely a hitch. Bucky has a brief moment to appreciate his piloting skills before they are deplaning into the bright green sea of gently swaying grass. He blinks against the brightness of the mid-morning sunshine.

“Tony,” Bucky tries, again, for the umpteenth time, “what are we doing?”

“Almost there,” Tony reassures him, reaching back for Bucky’s hand and tugging him along like a schoolchild out for a field trip. After a few minutes, Bucky spots a cheerfully painted blue sign announcing Heifer Ranch. A woman with close-cropped auburn hair and very large sunglasses is waiting at the nearby gate. She waves when she sees them approaching.

“Welcome to Heifer Ranch, Mr. Stark, Mr. Barnes! You’re right on time!” she greets them as soon as they are within ear-shot for a typical person. “My name is Clara and I’ve got to take you over to a short orientation, but then it’s on to daily chores!” She says _chores_ with an enthusiasm that Bucky finds unsettling.

They follow Clara through the gate and towards small warehouse, traveling along the shoulder of a recently paved road. Bucky’s quiet, can’t seem to make up his mind on how he’s feeling about their current situation. Tony seems to recognize Bucky’s mood and carries the light conversation with their guide on his own. The smell of asphalt and grass rises around him in the warming day. 

They get to the warehouse and pass a series of roll-up garage doors, an air conditioner unit humming away, and a small parking lot before they turn the corner to a normal door with the Heifer logo painted on it. They are ushered down a short hallway to a large, open space with several rows of folding chairs and a section of metal bleachers all facing a large white wall with a projector showing footage of happy children playing with a flock of chickens.

The air conditioner is a constant buzz below the sound of several groups of people chatting. A few heads turn to look at them, but before their presence can cause too much commotion, Clara steps up to a small podium and clears her throat. “Welcome, everyone, to Heifer Ranch! We are thrilled that you have decided to join us for the weekend. We hope that you come away from here with an appreciation for our philosophy of passing on the gift.”

Clara continues to speak, and Bucky watches the projected pictures of various completed and ongoing Heifer projects play behind her. His gaze travels over the other attendees in the bleachers with him. There are a handful of students, probably nearly done with high school, and a pair of chaperones. There is an older lady with her even older mother, who winks at Bucky when she sees his attention on her. There is a man with an impressive beard and his son, maybe five, bouncing on his lap but staying admirably quiet. A slightly older daughter sits beside him, idly twisting her hair into a knot.

When Clara’s presentation is finished, they introduce themselves, going around the room and saying their name, where they are from, and what animal they would want to be for a day.

Bucky says something about a wolf, because he’d feel at home in a pack and likes to run, but he feels sort of stupid after he says it out loud. Tony squeezes his hand and jumps in with his own introduction. Turns out, Tony would be a sea otter. “A relaxing day floating off the coast of California with all you can eat shellfish and holding hands with your buddies? Sign me up any day that ends in ‘y’,” Tony laughs. Other answers range from horses to eagles to a somewhat surprising ‘chinchilla’ from the bearded man, whose name turns out to be Alan. The atmosphere is relaxed and joking when Clara brings their attention back to the agenda. They are split into two groups, and soon Tony and Bucky are joining the older women and about half the high schoolers on their way to a large barn.

In the barn, they meet Nathan, a lanky kid with freckles and mousy brown hair. He gives them a run-down of the best way to milk a goat using a rubber facsimile hanging from what looks like an IV stand before he leaves to bring in their goat.

Her name is Daisy and she’s smaller than Bucky would have expected, walking at Nathan’s side. She perks up when she sees the milking station, a short ramp up to a wooden platform. She skips up and pushes her head through a set of wooden slats at the other end of the platform to calmly munch on a pile of feed. 

Bucky can’t help the hand that comes up to pet at Daisy’s side. She starts to look back, but only partially tosses her head before she is engrossed in her meal again. Her hair is bristly and warm. Bucky pets down her side gently. She’s got a rounded belly, which is completely adorable, and her udder is swollen. It looks tender and Bucky winces slightly in sympathy. Nathan notices, and nods his encouragement. “She’ll feel better once she’s milked. Have a seat, Bucky.”

He gestures towards the simple stool he’d placed there at some point, and Bucky folds down into it. There’s a bucket, and a kind of peace settles over Bucky when he puts it under Daisy and starts to fill it with milk. Nathan has to give him a few pointers, but soon Bucky’s hands are moving over the teats and the streams of milk splash into the bucket below. Daisy snorts and tosses her head, but she settles quickly with something almost like a sigh. 

It’s peaceful. A knot he hadn’t really registered begins to loosen in his gut. Some amount of time later, Nathan taps his shoulder and tells Bucky he can stop. Bucky slowly pulls his hands back into his lap. He feels warm. Accomplished.

Gentle.

He stares at the hands in his lap. Hands that have choked the life out of innocent people. Fingers that have pulled too many triggers.

He stands slowly and runs his hands over Daisy’s back again. “Good girl,” he croons.

Nathan retrieves the pail, “Here, take it out to the fire. Clara’ll show Mr. Stark how to make it into cheese.”

********************

Tony takes the milk pail with a smile and pours it into a metal pot hanging over the fire. Once it starts bubbling, he pulls it off the hook and stirs in a portion of vinegar. Bucky watches the milk swirl, foaming a little as Tony stirs, until Tony’s hand gently taps his arm. When Bucky manages to focus on him, he asks, “You alright there, Buck?”

“My sister had a cat.” The words tumble out of his mouth, formed at the same time as the memory itself. “It lived with us for years. It was a good mouser.” He frowns, because while he remembered that fact, that’s not the emotion floating just under the surface. He closes his eyes, chasing it down. He remembers a rough pink tongue lapping at the little puddle of milk that Becca had managed to save in the bottom of her cup. He remembers how fiercely she’d plead to keep it, when it was just a little scrap of a kitten. “She - she loved it.”

Tony’s beaming when Bucky opens his eyes, smile bright but soft at the edges. Bucky glances back into the barn, where Daisy is rubbing her face against Nathan’s hip. “I think I know how she felt,” he whispers, afraid to confess too loudly.

Tony hums, and a comfortable silence falls between them. Bucky helps Tony pour the contents of the pot through several layers of cloth, leaving behind a pile of lumpy curds. Tony twists the cloth around them, pulls it tightly closed, and hangs the soggy bundle from a hook to drain. They’re told it will take a few hours to become cheese.

Clara hands each of them a sack filled with a seed mixture and cheerfully describes the chickens living on the ranch as she leads them down a dirt path to another area. Bucky breathes deep, enjoying the novel smells of grass, earth, and warm animals instead of the exhaust, cooking oil, and people smells which make up New York.

Or blood, gun oil, and snow which made up so much of his life before it.

Bucky takes several deeper breathes, trying to rid himself of the thought. He knows he’s going to spiral until he feels Tony’s hand slip into his. Tony squeezes him tightly, a grounding presence, while Bucky concentrates on putting one foot in front of the other and not alarming Clara.

Slowly, Bucky’s breathing returns to normal. Tony grins at him and adjusts his hold to lace their fingers together.

********************

The chickens are pushy, eager for the feed that Bucky and Tony scatter for them. Tony laughs at their scrabbling, eyes creasing in that way that Bucky loves best.

********************

After the chickens, Tony and Bucky split off from their group and are taken to a large grassy area surrounded by chain-linked fencing. Clara and another Heifer employee start messing with a tripod and camera set up. Bucky stares at the camera with a sinking feeling. He doesn’t want to be publicity. He feels his eyes grow wider and his vision starts to grey.

Tony puts a gentle hand on his arm. Bucky focuses on the light pressure there and after a few moments he is able to look away from the camera and down into Tony’s eyes. Once he has Bucky’s attention, Tony brings his other hand up to touch Bucky’s cheek. “It’s just for me, Buckaroo. I offered to help.”

Bucky swallows hard and searches Tony’s face. He’s not wearing one of his masks. He’s relaxed, except for the slight furrow of concern between his eyes that is probably for Bucky. Bucky nods.

Tony smiles and declares, “You can make faces for me!”

Bucky pulls out the dead-eyed shark gaze, sending Tony into giggles. Clara waves Tony over to the fence, and Tony ambles towards her after a quick squeeze to Bucky’s hand.

The animal they are here to meet turns out to be a camel. Tony smiles and complements the animal on being a fine member of its species. The photographer clicks away. Clara makes a kissy noise with her lips, and the animal swoops down to lay a slobbery kiss on her cheek. Tony’s laughter is loud and bright. He mimics her command and the camel obliges, brushing its lips over Tony’s nose and cheek, ending up around his ear. Tony lets out another peal of laughter, scrunching his shoulders up and wrinkling his nose. Clara and the photographer cheer.

Bucky has the strangest feeling that he’s actually jealous of a camel.

They spend a few more minutes petting and feeding the camel before the photographer declares himself satisfied and suggests another location. Bucky’s stomach drops. How much of their getaway is going to be spent on this?

He shouldn’t have worried. Almost before the thought forms in Bucky’s mind, Tony shakes his head. “C’mon, guys,” he spreads his arms wide and gently ushers their host back towards the main barn. “You have one of the strongest, hardest working men on earth at your disposal. And Bucky’s no slouch either.” He sends Bucky a wink. “Surely there is something we can do to help out around here? You aren’t going to top those lips back there.” His tone stays jovial, but the last sentence has just a little more weight to it.

Clara nods, not voicing any objection, and Bucky feels his shoulders relax. She glances between the two Avengers and nods once again, a smile stealing over her expression. “Well, in that case…”

Which is how Bucky ends up mucking out the four goat pens for the rest of the afternoon.

Tony is right there with him, a multi-billionaire shoveling literal shit. He tries to apologize just once, but Bucky stops him with a simple, “No.” Tony watches him for a moment, before accepting it with a smile and bumping his hip into Bucky’s. 

When they take breaks, Bucky pets Daisy and the other goats. Bucky feels stable, here with his boots in the Arkansas dirt, like he is finally back on solid ground after tumbling for far too long. They work long enough for even Bucky’s back to start twinging, until the dinner bell rings out, echoing around the farm.

********************

Dinner is _wonderful_.

The whole group gathers around an open fire to discuss their experiences as they prepare a meal from the food produced on the ranch. Several of the high schoolers make flatbreads and whoop with delight each time they flip the ovals to find perfectly browned bubbles. Tony unwraps several bundles of soft goat cheese and portions them out to everyone. Alan’s wife, Katya, is helping their children fry eggs while Alan minces sweet onions. Several of the Heifer staff work with them, but they mostly keep quiet. The group doesn’t need much prompting to discuss the day. 

“It was, hmm, I guess numbin’ is the right way to put it,” Amelia, the oldest of the group, muses. She had worked on gathering fuel for the group fire along with her daughter, Shelly. Though they had started early in the afternoon, it had taken them hours to find and collect enough wood and scraps to burn. “We were nearer to droppin’ from boredom than from all the walkin’ and haulin’ – even if that weren’t no picnic.”

“Had to,” Shelly puts in. “Or all we’d be eating now’d be raw onions.” She lets out a loud laugh.

With so many people bustling around the fire, the meal comes together quickly. Tony lets the children talk his ear off about the animals that the two of them had seen on their tour while their parents serve food. Bucky gathers some of everything into two bowls. He sets one down next to Tony. They’re both filthy, despite their attempts to wash up after their afternoon in the goat pens. Tony has dirt and sweat coating his face, but the firelight is a shining warmth in his eyes, and Bucky’s breath catches. 

He was right, weeks ago; Tony looks amazing in firelight. Tony is always beautiful, and brilliant, and a hero, but here in the cooling evening air, smelly and smiling, Tony is nearly incandescent. Bucky’s own hero in overalls and a red flannel.

********************

Bucky and Tony are given a private hut within the village, and Bucky is grateful. The group has been lovely, working together to make their dinner was something he would remember for a long time to come, but sticking two Avengers in with a bunch of civilians and expecting any of them to find rest is asking too much. After the conversations wind down, sometime after full night falls, Bucky follows Tony away from the central campfire. He swings a camping lantern, illuminating their trek up a dirt path to a small, circular hut set up on a slight rise. The roof is thatched; the doorway is covered only by some kind of animal hide.

Tony holds the door, such as it is, aside, and Bucky registers two beds and a low table, but not much else. He’s had worse. Bucky flops onto one of the low, narrow cots, sticking his arm behind his head when he realizes there isn’t a pillow. He eyes Tony. The other man hasn’t moved at all, framed in the open door-way. “What’s wrong, doll?”

Tony shakes himself, slightly, and says, “Nothing, sweetheart. It’s just been an interesting day.” He’s still for another moment before turning to put up the flap of hide that serves as the door to the hut, leaving it open to the night sky beyond. From his vantage point, Bucky can just see the bright swath of the Milky Way beyond the light in Tony’s hand.

Tony makes his way over to Bucky’s side. He rests his hand briefly on Bucky’s forehead and gently brushes some of the hair back from his face. It makes Bucky feel soft and warm inside. Tony’s tenderness could melt him right through.

“Good night, Bucky. Sleep well.”

“G’night, Tony.” Tony’s footsteps are quiet as he pads across the small space to the other cot, extinguishes the lantern, and lies down. 

Bucky can’t quite make him out in the darkness, but even when he turns his eyes to the brilliant starry sky, Bucky has his other senses trained on Tony. He idly matches his breathing to the other man’s gentle exhales until soft snores fill the space between them instead. His eyes grow heavier until Bucky slips away to sleep himself between one moment and the next.

********************

Bucky wakes feeling calm and centered. His lungs fill with fresh, clean, cold air. Nothing hurts except a quickly-fading ache in his shoulders. It’s an honest ache of muscles used in new ways and Bucky is a little sad that the serum is taking care of it so quickly. He hears a soft humming beside him. Tony.

“One of these days we’re gonna wake up in a proper bed together, doll,” Bucky mumbles. He squints up at the thatched roof above him, illuminated in the soft light of dawn.

“That will be a _good_ day.”

Bucky turns on his narrow cot. Tony is smiling brighter than the sun, lighting up the space between them, but the next moment his eyes go _hungry _when they catch and linger on Bucky’s mouth. Bucky licks his lips. His breath is probably atrocious at the moment, but it barely registers as a concern. He rolls smoothly to stand up and step forward. Tony has come to his feet as well, and in the next moment, Bucky has him in his arms.__

__When he’d indulged in his daydreams of kissing Tony, Bucky had always assumed the man would smell and taste of coffee. Instead, Bucky breathes in the scent of dewy grass and sweat, when he can manage to get a breath at all. Tony kisses with the determined focus of a man who taught himself astrophysics overnight. Only this time he is learning Bucky’s mouth. Tony flicks his tongue against the corner of Bucky’s lips and Bucky can’t help the groan that punches out of him. He pulls Tony in, until he is completely flush against Bucky’s chest. Until he can feel each breath in his chest as well as against his cheek._ _

__Finally, they break apart to take in a full breath. Bucky feels light, lighter than he’s felt in _decades_ , like he would just float away into the pretty dawn sky if it weren’t for Tony’s anchoring touch. Tony is still smiling, and Bucky realizes that the ache in his cheeks means he is too._ _

__“C’mon, Daisy isn’t going to milk herself.”_ _

__They spill out into the fresh morning world, Tony practically sashaying down the path to the rest of the village. Bucky grabs the pail from where he’d set it to dry and takes a minute to watch Tony moving away, appreciating the sway of his hips._ _

__A good day, indeed._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Heifer International is my favorite charity and Heifer Ranch is a real place, though I have not had the fortune of visiting it myself. More information is available:  
> https://www.heifer.org/  
> https://www.heifer.org/what-you-can-do/experience-heifer/usa/heifer-ranch.html
> 
> I am marking the series complete for now. I have some inkling of doing a short final piece on their first time together, but I could use some encouragement. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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